Manufacturers of motor vehicle components and accessories sold in the U.S.A. must conform and certify compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) issued through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). FMVSS 213 contains requirements for child restraint systems used in motor vehicles and aircraft. FMVSS 213 defines a Child Restraint System (CRS) as any device, except Type I or Type II seat belts, designed for use in a motor vehicle or aircraft (collectively hereinafter a “vehicle”) to restrain, seat, or position children who weigh 66.1 lbs. or less. Further, various state laws and regulations have been enacted that require the use of certain types of CRSs such as rear-facing infant car seats, forward-facing infant car seats, and booster seats when restraining children of certain weights and/or ages.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised the medical profession that over thirty percent of infants are either too small or too large for a standard child car seat. As a result, these children are at increased risk for apnea, bradycarda, and oxygen desaturation when restrained in a standard child car seat while being transported in a vehicle as required by FMVSS 213 and the various state laws and regulations.
Over ten million rigid child car seats have been recalled with various problems that may compromise the safety of the restrained child. Further, it takes over thirty hours of training to be qualified to install a rigid infant car seat correctly. In addition, it often takes at least one hour for even a qualified person to properly install a rigid infant car seat in a vehicle. As a result, over ninety percent of child car seats are installed incorrectly due to a lack of installation training, a lack time to correctly install the child car seat, and/or the incompatibility of numerous vehicle mounting locations and seat configurations with the present hard shell CRSs.
Further, many hard shell CRSs are installed using OEM seatbelts. More specifically, a lap belt secures a bottom portion of the hard shell CRS and a shoulder belt secures an upper portion of the hard shell CRS. However, the single shoulder belt's diagonal orientation fails to prevent the back of the hard shell CRS from shifting with respect to the vehicle seat when the vehicle comes to an abrupt stop.
Additional concerns with the present hard shell CRSs include the weight and portability of the child car seats. These child car seats are often bulky and may weigh up to 18 lbs. Further, such child car seats may be difficult to carry and install due to their size and/or weight. Still further, individuals such as the elderly and other persons with limited physical strength may be unable to lift and carry bulky and/or heavy child car seats.
The average weight of a hard seat CRS is approximately 18 lbs. Therefore, taking into account the weight of the CRS, the maximum weight of a restrained child is reduced significantly. In the event of an accident, a lighter CRS allows standard automotive child restraint latches to survive faster crash speeds and/or a heavier restrained child. Further, the presence of a heavy hard shell seat creates an increased possibility that in the event of an accident, the seat may break loose and become airborne, potentially causing injuries.